The most exciting part of every season for fantasy owners is when a top prospect who has been stashed on the bench finally gets the call to The Show (think Matt Harvey, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout last season), and we finally get to insert them into our lineups.

On Thursday, the Cardinals rolled out the red carpet for Michael Wacha (if you’re trying to pronounce his last name, think of Fozzie Bear’s catch phrase) for his big league debut against the Royals. Baseball America’s 76th ranked prospect didn’t disappoint, retiring the first 13 batters he faced and allowing one run on two hits over seven innings. He also struck out six and was in line for the victory before that was spoiled by Mitchell Boggs and the St. Louis bullpen.

After mowing down the competition with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds (he was 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA and 34 strikeouts in nine starts), it was only a matter of time before St. Louis made the call, especially with Jaime Garcia having season-ending surgery and Jake Westbrook suffering through elbow issues. Wacha definitely has talent, and fantasy owners are obviously excited by his promotion (he was the most added player in ESPN and CBS leagues Thursday and yesterday).

If you happen to be in one of the leagues in which he’s still available, you should do yourself a favor and add him to your rotation. The 6-foot-6 right-hander is in a good spot on a first-place team — he will get run support and should be able to hold his own against stiffer competition than the last-place Royals. Like any rookie, he’ll have his hiccups, but if his debut says anything, he has a bright future.

While Wacha looked impressive his first time out, there are a lot more prospects out there already contributing or ready to contribute soon. Here’s a look at some other prospects to keep an eye on:

ALREADY SHOW-ING

Jurickson Profar, Rangers: The bad news is the Rangers plan to return Profar (.370, one homer, five RBIs) to the minors as soon as Ian Kinsler (ribs) comes back from the disabled list. The good news, Kinsler’s return has been delayed about two weeks, which gives Profar the chance to play more and prove he belongs in the majors.

Chris Archer, Rays: Will slide into David Price’s spot in the rotation and make his big league debut today against the Indians’ potent offense. Archer, who was 5-3 with a 3.96 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 52 strikeouts in 10 starts for Triple-A Durham, should get a few starts as Price’s return date has not been set.

Nick Franklin, Mariners: He’s a work in progress, but someone to watch (he’s available in 89 percent of ESPN leagues and has been the fifth-most-added player in CBS leagues). Don’t get too excited just yet because he had a two home-run game against the Padres.

READY & WAITING

Zack Wheeler, Mets: Can you imagine if the Amazin’s had two pitchers in their rotation fans would pay to see? Fantasy owners, Mets fans and Wheeler’s family, friends and pets all want this to happen. Why wait any longer? Sure, the Mets stole four games from the Yankees this week, but their starting center fielder is Rick Ankiel. they’re not exactly playoff-bound.

Wil Myers, Rays: Elite power hitting prospect (nine homers, 41 RBIs this season over 49 games in Triple-A) who, if he stays hot, could force his way into Tampa Bay’s lineup after the All-Star break.

Anthony Rendon, Nationals: With Danny Espinosa hitting the DL, it seemed logical to bring up Rendon (batting .330 with six homers and 24 RBIs in 32 games at Double-A Harrisburg). But, the Nationals chose Stephen Lombardozzi to replace Espinosa. Rendon has already had an eight-game stint in the bigs this season, going 6-for-25 (.240) with one RBI. His time will come.